Welcome To Our Medical Practice Information Depot.

Mississauga Family Health Organization - FHO

Along with 24 colleagues we provide all inclusive care to over 50,000 patients in the Peel-Halton area. Urgent care and advice is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We staff urgent care clinics and have knowledgable nurses staffing the after-hour hot lines. This site is not intended to provide medical advice and does not substitute for seeing your physician. It is governed by the rules and by-laws of various federal and provincial authorities. As it stands, internet communication is not considered secure or confidential. As this changes, the website will be updated to provide expanded services.

Health Screening - The key to prevention

If you have not received the following health tests with the past two years, please contact our office.

Pap Test (women 25 to 70)

Mammography Screening (women between 50 to 70)

Colorectal Screening (all patients ages 50 to 74)

Childhood Immunization

Influenza Shot (available end of October/early November, important in seniors over 65 )

Mammogram – High risk group (women between the ages of 50 and 70 inclusive)

In Canada, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women affecting 1 in 9 Canadians. As women get older, the chance of getting breast cancer rises. Mammograms can help to find small breast cancers before there are signs and symptoms. If breast cancer is found at an early stage there is a high rate of successful treatment. As well, for many women, finding cancer early may allow for more treatment options, such as breast conserving surgery or less aggressive treatment.

What are the risks of mammography?

Because x-ray procedures use radiation, there is some risk of radiation’s effects to the body cells. The amount of radiation that is administered in mammography is exceptionally low and is approved by national and international regulatory agencies.

Pap Test – High risk group (women between the ages of 35 and 70 inclusive)

Cervical cancer begins in the part of the uterus or womb that opens to the vagina. The Pap smear test is the best way to determine whether the cells of your cervix have undergone any pre-cancerous changes. Regular screening allows pre-cancerous cells to be identified and extracted before they become a threat to your body.

Risks and Benefits?

Benefits are the potential early detection of cervical cancer and treatment before it becomes a major problem. Risks are a few minutes of discomfort during the procedure. There is a small chance of a false positive test (test comes back positive when it really isn’t), which could cause needless anxiety until the test is redone.

Colon Cancer Screening Test – High risk group (both men and women between the ages of 50 and 74 inclusive)

Ontario has one of the highest rates of colorectal cancer in the world. Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in women after breast cancer, and in males it is ranked with prostate and lung cancer as being one of the most common types of cancer. Fecal occult blood testing is a very effective way for me to detect colorectal cancer at an early stage. The probability of curing colorectal cancer is 90% when it is detected early.

Even if you are not experiencing any symptoms, colorectal cancer may be detected using the Fecal Occult Blood Test. The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care recommends that if you are a man or a woman over 50 years of age, you should have an FOBT every one or two years. Studies show that regular FOB testing may lower the mortality rate of CRC by 15 to 33 percent.

Flu Shot – High risk group (all patients over the age of 65)

Influenza (commonly known as “the flu”) is a serious, acute respiratory illness that is caused by a virus. People who get influenza may experience a fever, chills, cough, runny eyes, stuffy nose, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, extreme weakness and fatigue. Illness due to influenza usually lasts two to seven days; sometimes longer in the elderly and in people with chronic diseases. In elderly people, the influenza vaccine can prevent pneumonia and hospitalization in about 60% of cases, and can prevent death in 80% of cases.

Childhood Immunization – High risk group (patients 30 months to 42 months of age, inclusive as of March 31, 2010)

Vaccines in Canada are safe, and the benefits of immunization far outweigh the risks. There is no reason to suffer from a disease if there is a safe and effective way to prevent it.

Many youngsters have some swelling or tenderness at the spot where the vaccine is injected, and some may also develop a mild fever, but these reactions are minor and temporary. Serious side effects such as severe allergic reactions can occur, but are extremely rare, and occur in Canada less often than once per million doses of vaccine.

On the other hand, the diseases that vaccines fight pose serious threats. Diseases such as polio, diphtheria, measles, and whopping cough can lead to paralysis, pneumonia, choking, brain damage, heart problems, and even death in children who are not protected.